Very big numbers

[tolkien]

hello,i'm working on some math problems and i want to answer a
question.
The biggest number i can store in a variable is 3-3.5 billion.
e.g
unsigned long int=3234567890;

is there a way a can store bigger numbers in a variable?

[Tim Prince]

tolkien wrote:

The biggest number i can store in a variable is 3-3.5 billion.
e.g
unsigned long int=3234567890;

is there a way a can store bigger numbers in a variable?

Maybe not, if you have ruled out long long int, double, long double,
logarithmic methods, and multiple precision libraries. What are your
constraints? This doesn't even look like a homework problem, unless you
have left something out.

[tolkien]

It's not a homework problem :).i was just playing big numbers and i
wanted to
know if there was any other way!
Thank you for answering!!!

[Ben Bacarisse]

tolkien <gv****@gmail.comwrites:

hello,i'm working on some math problems and i want to answer a
question.
The biggest number i can store in a variable is 3-3.5 billion.
e.g
unsigned long int=3234567890;

is there a way a can store bigger numbers in a variable?

Yes, but that is not what you want to ask! I can store a large number
very easily like this:

char big[] = "323456789032345678903234567890";

but doing anything with it (other than printing it) is rather fiddly.
You need to say more about what you need from your numbers:

(1) If you want speed and range but can sacrifice precision, use
double.

(2) If you want speed and a somewhat wider range without
loosing any precision (and you have compiler that can do it) use long
long int.

(3) If you want an almost unlimited range *and* precision in a portable
program, use a "big num" package like GMP.

--
Ben.

[LPoD]

tolkien pisze:

hello,i'm working on some math problems and i want to answer a
question.
The biggest number i can store in a variable is 3-3.5 billion.
e.g
unsigned long int=3234567890;

is there a way a can store bigger numbers in a variable?

There is always a way. ;)
As somebody already have stated, storing is not a problem.
But if you consider arithmetic, in general, you have two option:
1. Design your own data structures. (more fun, but why to reinvent
the wheel?)
2. Use one of libraries, for example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Mul...cision_Library

ch.

[Army1987]

On Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:44:03 +0100, Ben Bacarisse wrote:

(2) If you want speed and a somewhat wider range without
loosing any precision (and you have compiler that can do it) use long
long int.

In many implementations long double is capable to hold any integer
up to ULLONG_MAX + 1 exactly, so it doesn't lose any precision
compared to long long. (It does compared to a bignum library, of
course.)
--
Army1987 (Replace "NOSPAM" with "email")
If you're sending e-mail from a Windows machine, turn off Microsoft's
stupid “Smart Quotes� feature. This is so you'll avoid sprinkling garbage
characters through your mail. -- Eric S. Raymond and Rick Moen

[Keith Thompson]

Army1987 <ar******@NOSPAM.itwrites:

On Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:44:03 +0100, Ben Bacarisse wrote:

>(2) If you want speed and a somewhat wider range without
loosing any precision (and you have compiler that can do it) use long
long int.

In many implementations long double is capable to hold any integer
up to ULLONG_MAX + 1 exactly, so it doesn't lose any precision
compared to long long. (It does compared to a bignum library, of
course.)

Many, but not all. It should be possible to determine whether a given
implementation does this using the constants in <limits.hand
<float.h(left as an exercise).

But be careful. If long double *doesn't* support the values you need,
it won't necessarily fail in an obvious manner; you'll just get
results that are *slightly* incorrect. Certain operations that are
specific to integers won't be available. And division works
differently; 3/2==1, but 3.0/2.0==1.5.

--
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) ks***@mib.org <http://www.ghoti.net/~kst>
San Diego Supercomputer Center <* <http://users.sdsc.edu/~kst>
"We must do something. This is something. Therefore, we must do this."
-- Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, "Yes Minister"

[Army1987]

On Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:49:34 -0700, Keith Thompson wrote:

Army1987 <ar******@NOSPAM.itwrites:

>In many implementations long double is capable to hold any integer
up to ULLONG_MAX + 1 exactly

Many, but not all. It should be possible to determine whether a given
implementation does this using the constants in <limits.hand
<float.h(left as an exercise).

SYG_ENQVK / YQOY_RCFVYBA HYYBAT_ZNK, right?

--
Army1987 (Replace "NOSPAM" with "email")
If you're sending e-mail from a Windows machine, turn off Microsoft's
stupid “Smart Quotes� feature. This is so you'll avoid sprinkling garbage
characters through your mail. -- Eric S. Raymond and Rick Moen

[Keith Thompson]

Army1987 <ar******@NOSPAM.itwrites:

On Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:49:34 -0700, Keith Thompson wrote:

>Army1987 <ar******@NOSPAM.itwrites:

>>In many implementations long double is capable to hold any integer
up to ULLONG_MAX + 1 exactly

Many, but not all. It should be possible to determine whether a given
implementation does this using the constants in <limits.hand
<float.h(left as an exercise).

SYG_ENQVK / YQOY_RCFVYBA HYYBAT_ZNK, right?

Maybe. "Left as an exercise" didn't mean that I had figured it out
myself; I was just too lazy.

--
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) ks***@mib.org <http://www.ghoti.net/~kst>
San Diego Supercomputer Center <* <http://users.sdsc.edu/~kst>
"We must do something. This is something. Therefore, we must do this."
-- Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, "Yes Minister"